Campus Emergency Management Committee

Name of Committee: UAB Campus Emergency Management Committee (CEMC)

Mission Statement: The Campus Emergency Management Committee (CEMC) is the multidisciplinary group comprised of representatives from Administration, Police, Emergency Management, Risk Management, Student Services, Facilities, and other leaders from departments across UAB as well as community partners. It is responsible for the development and periodic review of emergency response plans, planning and evaluation of drills, and the evaluation of response efforts following an actual event with recommendations to Administration for improvements.

Chemical Safety and Environmental Management Committee

Name of Committee: Chemical Safety and Environmental Management Committee (CSEMC)

Mission Statement: The mission of the Chemical Safety and Environmental Management Committee (CSEMC) is to protect students, faculty, staff and the community through the safe use, handling and disposal of hazardous chemicals/materials at UAB.

Top 3 FAQ1. Are all research projects that use hazardous chemicals individually reviewed by the CSEMC?No. The Committee only reviews projects that involve an unusually high risk of hazardous exposure or a particularly hazardous component. Examples would be the use of MPTP (produces Parkinsonism), the use of engineered nanomaterials, aerosol administration of highly toxic materials to animals (chlorine), large volume use of powdered or reactive metals, or a project that produces a highly regulated waste (arsenic, cadmium, etc).

3. If my project has to be reviewed, how long will the review take?Currently the CSEMC meets quarterly, however, subcommittees can be scheduled to meet as needed.

Did You Know?The Chemical Safety and Environmental Management Committee is comprised of faculty members from the departments of Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Public Health and Medicine as well as representatives from the department of Occupational Health and Safety. The committee reports to the Vice President for Research and Economic Development and meets quarterly to:

Review and recommend improvements regarding the Chemical Safety Program

Review and make recommendations regarding the safe disposal of chemicals and hazardous materials

If you have questions about the Committee or have topics of interest for the Committee, please contact Judith McBride, jmcbride@uab.edu, 934-2487 or Donna Williamson, dsw@uab.edu, 934-4752.

Recent Accomplishments:Recently, Dr. Stanishevsky, from the Physics Department, provided a review of the Nanotechnology training module, which he developed. The content of this training is based on general information and applications, health and safety issues, and published standards. It gives basic definitions and standard terminology, which includes classifications, properties, look, and appearance. It contains information on inorganic and organic particles and a summary table for applications by particular type. It provides exposure and potential health effects of inhaled ultrafine particles. Also included is the ASTM standard, risk assessment, and exposure controls. Safety practices for labeling and storage, protective clothing, PPE, fire and exposition control, and management of spills are included. This course will be available on-line for campus users of nanomaterials sometime in 2013.

Hospital Safety Committee

Name of Committee: Hospital Safety Committee (HSC)

Mission Statement: It is our belief that an effective Hospital Safety Committee is engaged in a process of continuous quality improvement in Safety and that a multidisciplinary group responsible for analyzing and resolving Environment of Care issues in the hospital will better insure safety for patients, visitors and staff.

hazardous materials and waste spills, exposures, and other related incidents

fire-safety management problems, deficiencies, and failures

equipment-management problems, failures, and user errors

utility systems management problems, failures, or user errors

emergency management concerns

3. How does the HSC analyze conditions in the hospital relative to safety?

Safety issues/conditions are brought to HSC, discussions of those issues/conditions that include Root Cause Analysis (RCA) are held. RCA is an evaluation process that identifies the basic cause of an adverse event and the actions required to prevent recurrence. It asks first WHAT happened, HOW did it happen and finally WHY did it happen. Discussions continue with identification of how recurrence can be prevented and this may become a recommendation of the HSC that also may include suggested action plans to implement the recommendation.

Topic of interest Number 1:

The Hospital Safety Committee is the multidisciplinary group responsible for analyzing and resolving Environment of Care issues. The committee is comprised of representatives from administration, nursing, risk management, patient safety, planning, as well as leaders from each Environment of Care discipline which include Hospital Safety, UAB Police, Hospital Maintenance, Biomedical Engineering, and a Hazardous Materials representative from Occupational Health and Safety.

Areas of responsibility are as follows:

The Hospital Safety Manager shall serve as the chair of the Hospital Safety Committee.

An Associate Vice President as assigned by Hospital Administration shall provide executive leadership.

Leadership of the Environment of Care disciplines and other key Joint Commission functions shall be provided as follows:

The following ancillary Departments/Functions shall have representation on the Hospital Safety Committee.

Risk Management – Risk Manager as assigned

Environmental Services – As assigned by the Department

Facility Planning – As assigned by the Department

Physical Security – As assigned by the Department

Policies and Standards – As assigned by the Department

Women's Services – As assigned by the Department

CPM Nursing – As assigned by the Department

JC Regulatory Affairs – As assigned by the Department

Corporate Compliance – As assigned by the Department

UAB Call Center - As assigned by the Department

If you have questions about the Committee or have topics of interest for the Committee, please contact Ted Rorrer (trorrer@uabmc.edu), 205-934-1247.

Topic of interest Number 2:

The Hospital Safety Committee meets at least six times per year to address Environment of Care, risk management, patient safety, quality, and other issues as appropriate. The Hospital Safety Committee maintains minutes of each meeting. The minutes summarize materials presented, issues identified, recommendations and actions to be taken. The minutes also include a tracking log designed to assure management of all activities until they are resolved.